Construction unions attempt to entice merit shop craftspeople and new industry entrants into joining a union with promises of generous pension plans. They also convince elected officials in charge of procuring taxpayer-funded projects why union contractors and union workers deserve special treatment through various schemes like government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) because of the public [...]
By Ben Brubeck
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged Credit Suisse, featured, Pension Withdrawal Liability, pensions, PGBC, PLAs, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, The Politics of PLAs, Union-only PLAs harm local workers, Wall Street Journal
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December 14, 2011 – 12:55 pm
Yesterday, ABC Virginia issued a press release supporting the Fair and Open Competition in Government Contracting Act (HB 33) pre-filed this Monday in Richmond (see the full release below). HB 33 prohibits Virginia and recipients of state funding or assistance from requiring or prohibiting contractors to enter into union agreements, such as a project labor agreement (PLA), as [...]
By Ben Brubeck
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged ABC Virginia, Arizona, Barbara Comstock, Boston Herald, Dulles Transit Partners, Fair and Open Competition in Government Contracting Act (HB 33), Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Metro Washington Airport Authority, Michigan, MWAA, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, Silver Line, State Legislation, Take Action, Tennessee, Tim Hugo, VA, Virginia, Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Wall Street Journal
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October 5, 2011 – 10:48 am
TheTruthAboutPLAs.com has been reporting for weeks about the perils of SB 922 and other California legislation catering to Big Labor’s special interests by promoting anti-competitive and costly government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs). After sailing through the California legislature via a deceptive gut and amend legislative vehicle originally about tuberculosis screening, Governor Jerry Brown (D) signed SB 922 [...]
By Ben Brubeck
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged ABC California, Ballot Initiative, California, Chula Vista, Editorial, Fox News, Fresno, Gov. Brown, local legislation, Oceanside, Orange County, Palmdale Water District, PLA Video, Placer County, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, Proposition A, Sacramento, San Diego, San Diego County, SB 922, Stanislaus County, State Legislation, The Politics of PLAs, Wall Street Journal
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Construction unions market project labor agreements (PLAs) to public and private construction owners as a tool to guarantee labor peace on construction projects. But recent examples of strikes on PLA projects in NYC and other areas across the U.S. call into question the value of these anti-competitive schemes designed steer contracts to union contractors and union members. MYTH: [...]
By Ben Brubeck
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged Boston Herald, Cement and Concrete Workers of New York, Crain's New York Business, featured, Government-Mandated Project Labor Agreements: The Public Record of Poor Performance (2011 Edition), Indiana, Ironworkers, Joseph Hunt, Labor Unrest, Laborers International Union of North America, Laborers Union, Local 150 of the International Union of Operating Engineer, Los Angeles, Maury Baskin, New York, New York Building and Construction Trades Council, PLA Basics, PLA Myth, PLAs, PLAs Cut Competition, Project Labor Agreements, Regional Plan Association, Strikes, Wall Street Journal
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The Boston Herald published another editorial opposed to government-mandated project labor agreements (PLAs) last week. It longed for the day Mass. officials enact legislation ensuring that all qualified contractors and their skilled employees have a fair opportunity to compete and win state-funded construction contracts (“End Unpopular Pacts,” 7/27/11): The Wall Street Journal recently tallied up the [...]
The title says it all and we completely agree! The editorial board at The Wall Street Journal has again come out against wasteful and discriminatory government-mandated PLAs. Here are the highlights from the editorial (“Project Labor Revolt: The states ban union political bid-rigging. Obama demurs,” 7/19/11): One benefit of the squeeze on state and local [...]
By Andy Conlin
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged 2010 Election, ABC Iowa, ABC Michigan, Arizona, Arkansas, Ballot Initiative, California, Chula Vista, Editorial, Executive Order 13502, featured, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, Idaho, Iowa, Kevin Dayton, local legislation, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Open Competition, PLA Basics, PLAs, PLAs are political payoffs to union leaders, PLAs Cut Competition, PLAs Discriminate, PLAs Increase Costs, Project Labor Agreements, State Executive Order, State Legislation, Tennessee, Utah, Wall Street Journal
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On June 3, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform Subcommittee held a hearing, “H.R. 735 and Project Labor Agreements: Restoring Competition and Neutrality to Government Construction Projects.” The subcommittee, chaired by Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.), heard testimony about the negative impact of President Obama’s controversial Executive Order 13502 [...]
By Ben Brubeck
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged AGC, Beacon Hill Institute, Daniel Gordon, David G. Tuerck, Executive Order 13502, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, GSA, Hearing, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and Procurement Reform Subcommittee, Kirby Wu, Massachusetts, Maury Baskin, Mike Kennedy, New Jersey, OMB, PLAs, President Obama, Project Labor Agreements, Rep. James Lankford, Rep. Mike Kelly, Rep. Tim Walberg, Sullivan, Susan Brita, Technology, The Government Neutrality in Contracting Act, U.S. House Hearing, Wall Street Journal, Washington DC
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January 20, 2011 – 2:02 pm
On Jan. 18, President Obama issued an executive order, Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review, urging federal agencies to review and fix costly federal regulations that “stifle job creation and make our economy less competitive.” In an opinion editorial published in The Wall Street Journal (“Towards a 21st Century Regulatory,” 1/18/11), President Obama wrote: “Sometimes, those rules have gotten out [...]
October 15, 2010 – 6:09 pm
On November 2, San Diego County voters will vote YES on Proposition A, which amends the San Diego county charter to prohibit the county government from entering into contracts that require construction companies to sign project labor agreements (PLAs) with construction unions. This measure will ensure that San Diego County taxpayers get the best quality construction at the best [...]
By Ben Brubeck
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged ABC California, California, Executive Order 13502, FAR Final Rule, Federal Construction, Federal Contracting, Fox News, New York Times, PLAs, Project Labor Agreements, Proposition A, San Diego, Take Action, Wall Street Journal
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UCLA economics professor Lee O’Hanian writes July 8 in the Wall Street Journal that “recent decisions by President Obama and his administration to increase unionization are steps in the wrong direction” to achieve economic recovery in America: These steps include executive orders that increase union bargaining power, including one that gave preference to union labor on [...]
